Umar Nurmagomedov is already eyeing another championship opportunity.
The previously undefeated fighter fell short in the co-main event of UFC 311 on Saturday, dropping a unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in a dramatic five-round contest. Nurmagomedov had his chances, but the inexhaustible Dvalishvili outplayed his challenger, resulting in his first title defense and Nurmagomedov’s first loss.
Following the loss, Nurmagomedov posted a statement on social media, saying there were “no excuses” and vowing to “be the champion” (automatically translated from Russian via Instagram).
“There are no excuses,” Nurmagomedov wrote. “Insha’Allah, I will be the champion. The rest doesn’t matter. Praise Allah in any situation.
“And even if the whole world tries to convince me otherwise, I don’t think I’ve lost this fight. Let’s overcome the injury and get back on track.”
In his post-fight interview immediately following his loss, Nurmagomedov told commentator Joe Rogan that even though he broke his left hand in the opening round, he still felt he was good enough to win the fight. Nurmagomedov’s management team subsequently sent photos of the player’s hands to support this claim.
Nurmagomedov also told Rogan that he planned to watch the fight again, but it is unclear whether he did so before making the statement on social media.
Regardless of how Nurmagomedov and his team viewed it, the official result was a unanimous decision victory for Dvalishvili. Nurmagomedov, who falls to 6-1 in the UFC, heads into his next training camp looking to find a way to bounce back from his first loss.
